UN rights office reports escalation in strikes on schools in Gaza
According to the office at least 17 schools have been hit, raising serious concerns about compliance with principles of International Humanitarian Law (IHL), including distinction, proportionality and precaution. OHCHR also pointed to an escalation in such attacks. Since last Monday,…
Japan’s Nikkei 225 soars 10% and other world markets are mixed after the week’s rollercoaster start
Bangkok — Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 index soared more than 10% on Tuesday, rebounding after a rollercoaster start to the week that sent markets tumbling in Europe and on Wall Street. European markets were mostly lower, with Germany’s DAX down…
Ukraine says Russian missile attack hits Kharkiv
Russian forces carried out aerial attacks on multiple parts of Ukraine, officials said Tuesday, including hitting the northeastern city of Kharkiv with a missile. Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov said on Telegram the strike damaged a medical clinic and that authorities…
Secretaries of state urge Elon Musk to fix AI chatbot spreading election misinformation on X
Chicago — Five secretaries of state are urging Elon Musk to fix an AI chatbot on the social media platform X, saying in a letter sent Monday that it has spread election misinformation. The top election officials from Michigan, Minnesota,…
Google loses massive antitrust case over its search dominance
Washington — A judge on Monday ruled that Google’s ubiquitous search engine has been illegally exploiting its dominance to squash competition and stifle innovation in a seismic decision that could shake up the internet and hobble one of the world’s…
Official: Iran smuggles ‘5 to 6 million liters’ of oil into Pakistan daily
Islamabad — Pakistan’s military revealed Monday that millions of liters of Iranian oil are being smuggled into the country each day, but rejected long-standing allegations that it is also playing a role in the illegal trade. Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif…
World stocks plunge on fears of US economic slowdown
New York — Stock markets across the globe plunged Monday as investors sold stocks on worries that the U.S. economy, the world’s largest, might be slowing and possibly headed to a recession. In afternoon trading, all three major U.S. indexes…
Middle East: UN rights chief warns against wider war, appeals for urgent de-escalation
“I am deeply worried about the rising risk of a wider conflict in the Middle East and plead with all parties, along with those States with influence, to act urgently to de-escalate what has become a very precarious situation,” Volker…
Iran’s protest crackdown disproportionately targeting minorities: UN experts
The paper highlights several ways Iranian security forces violated the rights of minorities including through “extrajudicial executions, unnecessary use of lethal force, arbitrary arrests, torture, rape” and other crimes against humanity. The mission says this is the “direct result of…
Bangladesh: UN urges peaceful transition as PM resigns and flees the country
Secretary-General António Guterres “continues to closely follow developments in the country,” UN Deputy Spokesperson, Farhan Haq, said in a statement. “He urges calm and restraint by all sides and emphasizes the importance of a peaceful, orderly and democratic transition,” he…